Keith Hudson's Musings

A third way for Third World countries?

In earlier postings I’ve suggested that there are only two strategies for countries outside the dozen or so advanced First World countries. One is continuing with food and resources exports simultaneously with steep population reduction while their exports last or are needed. The other is the development of tourism for First Worlders — holiday-makers, young adventurers or scientific projects.

A third way has occurred to me when considering the future of what are now First World countries. These countries will always be in fierce competition even if it’s in sophisticated ways such as laying on good research universities or offering low corporation taxes to highly desirable employers to take up headquarter residence there. In being able to afford funding scientific research and apply only low business taxes, advanced governments will have o become increasingly efficient by offloading unnecessary function and by automating their bureaucracy.

When a point of balance is reached between the distribution of large profitable businesses and the dozen or so advanced countries then another factor will start to become important. This is the leisure time facilities available to the key employees of the corporations. The location of desirable homes and leisure-time pursuits are very much going to depend on the overall environment of a country. The increasingly scientifically educated, even more than the middle-class of today, would appreciate a beautiful and rich nature environment — something that the inadequately educated average worker of the advanced countries today scarcely bothered about.

There are some Third World with particularly good climates for working and living in and beautiful locations for headquarter staff, schools, universities and research labs. These might prove to be the last deciding factor in whether a corporation moves its headquarters or when key personel of other corporations decide to change their employer.
Environment,